KEY POINTS

  • "Excalibur" was installed by the owner of a local caravan park, Garnett Davies
  • 14 people donated more than £560 to replace the stolen sword.
  • Davies said he will make the next sword much stronger.

Did we get ourselves a new King Arthur? A sword inspired by Arthur's Excalibur and embedded in a large stone in the Brecon Beacons National Park, popular with tourists, was pulled out and stolen. The sword was located by Llangorse Lake and went missing on Saturday 14 October, reported Radio Wales. It was originally fixed in the stone with cement, but that did not deter the thieves.

Garnett Davies, who owns the Lakeside Caravan Park and boat hire at Llangorse Lake, installed the sword in the stone. He rang the alarm on Sunday 15 October.

More from IBTimes UK

After opening the viewing centre, he realised the sword was nowhere to be found. Davies told IBTimes UK that the thieves didn't fully pull the sword out of the stone like in the Arthurian legend, but snapped it off the stone, leaving part of the blade behind.

Councillor Emily Durant from Powys said the council has "suspicions" about a group of people spotted in the park the on the evening of the theft and is "pretty convinced" locals are not to blame for the crime. There are no arrests so far.

The sword was particularly popular with tourists and children, with many having a go at trying to dislodge it from the stone and posing for pictures. Its location at Llangorse Lake is a nod to the legend of King Arthur, some versions of which say Camelot - his castle - was in the Brecon Beacons.

Local photographer Adam Tatton-Reid started a crowdfunder to replace the sword, which was met with enthusiasm. A post on Llangorse Lake's official Facebook page reads: "We thought the sword was popular but didn't know just how much everyone loves it."

Davies said he couldn't believe the response. The funds have now reached £560, more than enough to replace the original artefact, which had been crafted by a local blacksmith.

But even if it was King Arthur returning to claim Excalibur, he's not very popular with the locals, and efforts to retrieve the sword are still ongoing. Durant said the community really misses it and urged people to return it.

Davies said that if the old sword is not returned, it should ideally be replaced within a month.
"We're trying to make it a bit stronger than the last one, though," he joked, adding that titanium is a possible option.

Excalibur Sword
The "Excalibur Sword" of Llangorse Lake, a popular attraction of South Wales, was stolen on Saturday 14 October. Garnet Davies